Mixing Bowl: Challa-peño; Whole Foods Rumors; Kosher Chili

Image by iStockphoto
A new book reveals that Ikea — of lingonberry jam and cheap furniture fame — has a founder with a Nazi past. [Washington Post]
A Whole Foods spokesperson denies rumors that the high-end chain is boycotting Israeli products. She noted that Whole Foods carries thousands of kosher options and hundreds of kosher-for-Passover products. Jewish Journal
Mark your calendars, Texans: Houston will host a Kosher chili cookoff in October. Last year’s cookoff raised $10,000 for various Jewish organizations. [Houston Chronicle] Planning a trip to San Francisco? J., the Jewish news weekly of Northern California, has compiled a list of the best kosher restaurants in the Bay Area: [J. Weekly]
Chicken parmesan and beef lasagna may not be kosher, but Joan Nathan explains that there is actually a wonderful heritage of Jewish Italian cuisine. [Tablet]
A “modern Jewish-food-inspired bistro” set to open in Tribeca this fall announces its executive chef. Barbecue brisket-stuffed knishes, pastrami Reuben sliders, and shmaltz-rubbed steak frites are expected to make it onto the menu. Village Voice/Fork in the Road
In other unexpected Jewish cuisine news, the New Yorker directs our attention to a mother-daughter team blogging and writing a cookbook on Mexican-Jewish cooking. Check out their recipes (like kosher tamales!) on their blog, Challa-peño. [The New Yorker/Book Bench]
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
